Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

तत्रोचुः सैनिकाः सर्वे न विद्मोऽपकृतं वयम् । सर्वोपायैर्यथाकामं भवान्समधिगच्छतु

Transliteration

tatrocuḥ sainikāḥ sarve na vidmo'pakṛtaṃ vayam | sarvopāyairyathākāmaṃ bhavānsamadhigacchatu

Translation

تب تمام سپاہیوں نے عرض کیا، “ہمیں معلوم نہیں کہ یہ بدی کس نے کی ہے۔ آپ جس تدبیر کو مناسب سمجھیں، اسی کے ذریعے اس کا سراغ پا لیجیے۔”

Word by Word

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक)

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• sainikāḥ: soldiers
• sainikāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sainika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनम्

• sarve: all
• sarve: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; qualifying sainikāḥ

• na: not
• na: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध)

• vidmaḥ: we know
• vidmaḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vid (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• apakṛtam: the wrongdoing
• apakṛtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apa-√kṛ (धातु) → apakṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनम्; object of vidmaḥ

• vayam: we
• vayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा बहुवचनम्

• sarva-upāyaiḥ: by all means/methods
• sarva-upāyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + upāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सर्वे उपाया:); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया बहुवचनम्; instrumental plural

• yathā-kāmam: as you wish
• yathā-kāmam: Adverbial (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; क्रियाविशेषणम् = 'as desired/at will'

• bhavān: you (sir)
• bhavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनम्; honorific 2nd person pronoun used as subject

• samadhigacchatu: may (you) find/ascertain
• samadhigacchatu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-adhi-√gam (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्; polite injunction

Speaker

Śaryāti’s soldiers/army (collective reply)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tense royal camp at Prabhāsa: soldiers gathered before the king, hands folded, faces anxious, insisting ignorance while urging him to discover the culprit by any means.

Characters & Entities

• Śaryāti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In crises born of adharma, ignorance of the cause does not remove responsibility; one must still seek the truth and restore order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, the holy region whose narrative showcases dharma’s immediate consequences.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it emphasizes practical dhārmic governance—ascertaining the cause and pursuing remedy.